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Dietitians from the BDA (British Dietetic Association) gave some tips on how to bring the Mediterranean diet into our homes. Sue Baic, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the BDA, says: "Studies looking into the diets of thousands of people around Europe have confirmed the health advantages of the Mediterranean style diet. The good news is this research shows you don’t actually need to live near the Mediterranean to get the benefit. No matter where you are, the closer your diet matches the typical Mediterranean style diet, the lower your likelihood of developing problems such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes."
Tips for following a Mediterranean diet
1) Fill up on fruit and veg. Aim to eat a minimum of five portions of a variety of different coloured fruits and vegetables each day. They contain a wide range of protective plant nutrients or phytochemicals. Fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables all count in the diet. Beans and pulses and 100% pure juice or smoothies count too, but only as one portion a day, no matter how much you have.
Filling up on fruit and veggies also means you are replacing other foods such as processed foods in your meal that may be high in sodium. To have a healthy heart like the Mediterraneans, and maintain normal blood pressure, your diet should be five times higher in potassium than in sodium, according to Emilia Klapp in her book Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet. Unfortunately, in the typical Western diet, the amount of sodium is more likely to be five times higher than the potassium intake. Why? Because 75% of the salt we eat comes from processed foods. Fruits and vegetables also provide high amounts of potassium, calcium and magnesium.
2) Eat more aromatic herbs, garlic and onions. To add the Mediterranean flavour to your meals, replace salt with garlic and aromatic herbs. Garlic is a true wonder of nature. It has been used for thousands of years as both food and medicine. People around the world, especially those who enjoy few chronic heart diseases, use it extensively in their daily diets.
Why? Because more than 200 chemical compounds that might protect our bodies have been found in garlic. It has recently been shown that garlic can significantly reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, lower blood pressure and prevent the formation of blood clots. It can also protect our bodies through its antioxidant properties.
Onions and other aromatic herbs work very similar to garlic. They contain about 25 active compounds that appear to help combat heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.
3) Choose your fats wisely. Use vegetable oils, such as rapeseed or olive oil, in moderation for cooking and to dress salad. Opt for soft spreads made from these oils to spread on bread. Butter is rarely consumed in the traditional Mediterranean diet and margarine was completely unknown in the area until recently. People in the Mediterranean countries use extra virgin olive oil, one of the best sources of monounsaturated fat, the kind of fat that does not stick to your arteries. Extra virgin olive oil is also an excellent source of many antioxidants such as vitamin E.
When using animal fats, such as butter or cream, do so very sparingly. Cut down on fatty cuts of red meat and meat products such as sausages, pies and streaky bacon. Trim the fat from cuts of red meat and the skin from chicken and limit your intake of fried fast foods that are very high in fat. Even better, opt for fish instead of red meat, including at least one portion of oil-rich fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines or pilchards. Fresh, smoked, frozen and canned varieties all count.
4) Choose wholegrain and eat more legumes. When choosing foods from the starchy food group, replace refined cereal foods with wholegrain varieties. Wheat, oats, barley, rye and rice can all be eaten in wholegrain form. Aim to get at least half your starchy carbohydrates as wholegrains – at least two to three servings a day.
Legumes include dry beans, lentils, chickpeas and garbanzo beans. Legumes, a staple food in the Mediterranean diet for centuries, are packed with fibre as well as minerals such as iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, zinc, potassium, folic acid and some of the B-complex vitamins. They are low in fat and sodium. Legumes are also very high in soluble fibre that helps you easily get rid of your cholesterol. And to top it all, they can help balance your budget because they are very inexpensive. If legumes are not part of your regular diet, you are missing an almost perfect food.
5) Go easy on alcohol. Moderate drinking has been shown to have protective health effects in men and post-menopausal women. In particular, red wine contains beneficial substances that may protect artery walls. Experts recommend only moderate consumption of alcohol - one to two units per day. If this amount is exceeded, the detrimental effects, for example liver cirrhosis, are greater than the positive effects.
Article by Gretha Swinnen; additional text by The British Dietetic Association
Sources: Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet by Emilia Knapp.
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